The invention relates to handling of sheet media such as paper. More specifically, the invention relates to positioning of staples in stacked sheets delivered from sheet media handling equipment such as printers.
One commonly used method of permanently fixing multiple pages is stapling of the pages. When print jobs are produced by laser printing, photocopying and other short-run processes, it may be desired to staple the pages at different places. By way of example, it is common to select a single staple near a corner of a page or several staples aligned along one edge.
In addition to providing a convenience for the user in eliminating a separate stapling step, sheet stapling also maintains a stack in alignment that makes it easier to keep completed paper handling jobs together and keep multiple copies of print jobs separate.
In providing a stapling capability, it is necessary to provide the sheets in a desired alignment and choose a staple position. While some types of print jobs or other sheet handling jobs are such that stapling would not be possible, it is desired to maximize the percentage of paper handling jobs in which stapling is an option. It is also desired to provide the user with a staple arrangement on a print job or other paper handling job which is more suited to the user""s staff needs.
In the prior art, it had been common to provide a staple in one corner of the page. This provides a generally uniform selection of staple position and is acceptable for a large number of print jobs. If the user determines that multiple stapling is desired, this can be accomplished manually. If the alignment of the single staple is suitable, sheet alignment and collation is facilitated even though the user must provide additional stapling.
When paper handling equipment is provided with a stapling capability, not only is a stapler required, but additional page alignment and staple alignment arrangements must be included. In addition, a power supply suitable for operating the stapler and control circuitry must be provided. Therefore, the costs of adding a stapling capability exceeds that of the costs of providing a stapler mechanism.
One desired feature provided on printers is an ability of the printer to render print jobs at remote locations. In such cases, the user may wish to control, not only the formatting for the printed sheets, but also a format for the complete print job. It would be desirable to include, in such remotely rendered print jobs, a staple configuration. Thus, if the user could designate a configuration for stapling, it would be possible to provide a finished document at a remote location.
In accordance with the present invention, the sheet material handling includes a device which registers sheets in an accumulator module. In order to provide a stapling operation as defined by the user, a plurality of staple positions are established. A distance from the edge of a sheet for each stapled position is defined, and this distance establishes a position that a staple will have on the paper.
According to a further aspect of the invention, a printer is responsive to remote signals in order to perform a print job, including printing a plurality of sheets and assembling the sheets into a document. This enables the printer to render completed, assembled print jobs at remote locations. Such remote locations may include locations on a local area network (LAN) or locations accessible through Internet connections such as those using the TCP/IP protocol. According to the present invention, the user may transmit signals to a remote printer which provide formatting for the printed sheets, as well as a format for the complete print job. Included in the complete print job is a preferred staple configuration, so that according to the present invention it is possible to provide a finished document from a remote location.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a paper handling device such as a printer has a post-processing unit with a stapling capability. The post-processing unit establishes a minimum distance allowed between staples and a minimum distance of a first staple from an edge of the sheets. The staples are then applied in a desired manner according to a desired number of staples and detected sheet size, with the desired number of staples not exceeding the minimum distances.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, a number of staples permitted to be used on a stack of sheets discharged from the sheet material handling machine is established by minimum distances between adjacent staples, and a predetermined minimum distance between an edge of the stack and a first staple. This permits the use of multiple staplers and multiple staple positions in a manner consistent with sheet sizes of various sheets which may be discharged by the sheet material handling equipment. However, in a particular embodiment of the invention, the stapling function is handled by multiple stapler mechanisms, so that the minimum distance between staples coincides with a dimensional restriction of placement of adjacent stapling mechanisms. By establishing the minimum distances, it is possible to provide the post-processing equipment for the sheet material handler with the capability of moving the multiple staplers to different positions, and without unduly limiting the ability of the sheet material handler to process and accept completed print jobs.